cover image Jack the Ripper: The Uncensored Facts: A Documented History of the Whitechapel Murders of 1888

Jack the Ripper: The Uncensored Facts: A Documented History of the Whitechapel Murders of 1888

Paul Begg. Robson Books, $19.95 (256pp) ISBN 978-0-86051-528-9

Begg ( Into Thin Air ) takes a scholarly approach to the ``Ripper'' murders, offering a substantive account of the five gruesome slayings committed in Whitechapel, London, in 1888. The author sets the stage by examining London at that time--especially its slums--and discussing the careers of the police officials concerned with the Ripper case. Launching into an analysis of the five murders, he demonstrates how circulation battles among metropolitan newspapers spurred wild conjectures and misstatements of fact about the killings. The deduction of some doctors--that the killer was a skilled anatomist--is inconclusive, Begg contends. He also argues against the popular belief that the Ripper was a gentleman gone slumming. Begg concludes by assessing the most frequently suspected murderers, providing persuasive evidence that none was guilty. Photos. (Jan.)